#The Secret Book & Scone Society
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“Other people are obsessed with calories, nutritional value, antioxidants. I look at food and wonder: Can I eat that without having to put my book down?”
Ellery Adams, The Secret, Book, & Scone Society
#ellery adams#the secret book & scone society#book quotes#bookblr#bookish#books#quotes#bookstagram#booktok#book tumblr#reading#book club#book lover#bibliophile#bookworm#book worm
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it's a shot in the dark but does anyone have recommendations for instrumental cozy mystery reading?
...for winter hibernation
#talking tag#books#im reading the secret book and scone society series 🥰 the setting reminds me of a mountain spring town that i love
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ARC Review: "The Vanishing Type," by Ellery Adams
ARC Review: “The Vanishing Type,” by Ellery Adams
Hello all, and welcome to today’s issue of “late ARCs.” Up today is the newest Secret, Book and Scone Society installation, The Vanishing Type by Ellery Adams. Ellery Adams is a queen in the cozy mystery sphere, and this is by far my favorite series by her. It features a book store, baked goods, best friends, and murder – what more can you ask for? Add in a small dollop of magical realism (main…
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#arc review#arcs#beach reads#book review#Book Reviews#books#cosy mystery#cozy mystery#ellery adams#fiction#kensington books#literature#netgalley#novel#reading#secret book and scone society#the vanishing type
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December Monthly Recap
I read more in December than I did in November, a good indicator of the holiday break and also my better mood and stress levels. My favorite book I read this month was A City on Mars, which was a really fascinating and intriguing nonfiction book about space travel and space settlement. My least favorite was A Night to Surrender, although it had a lot of competition (not the best reading month quality wise).
A City on Mars by Kelly and Zach Weinersmith: 5/5
A Delicate Deception by Cat Sebastian: 3/5
The Blue, Beautiful World by Karen Lord: 2.5/5
The Hallowed Hunt by Lois McMaster Bujold: 4.25/5
Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 11 by Kamome Shirahama: 4.5/5
Vicious by V.E. Schwab: 4/5
Four Roads Cross by Max Gladstone: 4.75/5
Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros: 4.5/5
The Secret, Book, and Scone Society by Ellery Adams: 2.75/5
The Fiancee Farce by Alexandria Bellefleur: 5/5
A Night to Surrender by Tessa Dare: 2/5, dnf
Knit, Purl, a Baby and a Girl by Hettie Bell: 2.5/5
All the Hidden Paths by Foz Meadows: 4.5/5
The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England by Ian Mortimer: 4/5
And my final stats for my goals below the cut, although I'll talk about them again when I reflect on how they went:
23 in 2023: 18 [+1]
Read 100 books: 188/100 [+14]
Translated works: 5 [+1]
Physical TBR: 16 [+2]
Top of TBR: 8 [+1]
Books in Spanish: 7 [+0]
Read 40% AOC: 22.2% [-0.5%]
Discworld Books: 3 [+0]
Series: 32 started vs. 36 caught up/finished [+0/+5]
Storygraph recs: 2 | avg. 3.25/5 [+0]
Indigenous authors: 3 [+0]
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The Cloisters by Katy Hays
Ann Stilwell thinks her new job in New York City will be as a curatorial associate at the Met — but instead, she finds herself assigned to work at The Cloisters, a gothic museum with a famous garden. Joining a team of researchers who study divination, Ann happily dives into the world of fortune telling. But when a deck of 15th-century tarot cards appears, Ann’s unexpectedly thrust into a world of magic — which could turn deadly.
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
This is an absolutely charming tale, best enjoyed with a cup of mulled cider and a scone at your side. Mika Moon is a modern British witch, and she’s knows the rules: Witches stay apart from each other so they don’t draw attention from ordinary humans. But when she gets a mysterious note, she’s intrigued — the letter-writer says she’s desperately needed to come teach three young witches to control their magic. Mika arrives at the Nowhere House and finds not only three precocious magic-users, but an oddball group of adults raising them — including handsome and often-irritated librarian, Jamie.
Babel by R.F. Kuang
R. F. Kuang’s Babel gives dark academia a twist — what if it took into account colonialism and student revolutions? In 1828, orphaned Robin Swift comes to London from China, and trains in languages so that he’ll be able to enroll in Oxford’s Royal Institute of Translation, known as Babel. Babel is the center of translation, and with it, magic, and it helps the British Empire keep hold of its power. As Robin begins his studies at Oxford, he comes to realize supporting Babel means betraying his homeland, and finds himself caught between powerful forces.
More at the link.
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@cantillat asked: ❝ Here, have some tea. ❞ Van Helsing offers the princess some that he brew -- and of course the former vampire hunter decided to combine certain flavors to make the experience more fragrant. He also had a few scones ready for her, his secret recipe.
Unprompted IC Asks - Accepting from mutuals
"Mr. Van Helsing?" Sonia asked, with both surprise and cheerfulness. At this time of the evening, she expected one of Marquis Renfield's footmen to open doors and, if needed, announce the visitor at hand. She'd spent most of the last hour and a half in the drawing room, sitting stiffly straight on one of the silk-upholstered sofas in an evening gown, a book in her hands.
Dinner had ended ages ago, and yet none of the men in the party had left the dining room: not after the cigars and scotch were brought out. As it was custom, the women were excused into the drawing room so the opposite sexes could speak more candidly about private matters. Not that there had been much in the way of women present: just the visiting Princess Sonia of Novoselic and the Marquis' widowed sister, Lady Agatha. A few years younger than he, she shared his good nature and love of conversation but that is where their lives seemed to differ. After her husband had died ten years prior, Agatha had done what she'd needed to: grieved her husband, ran his country estate and the nearby village and ensured her daughter a successful marriage, before leaving both the estate in the Lake District to her daughter and her new husband and taking up room in her brother's household. She insisted she didn't want to be underfoot with all their children running about, but really, it seemed she preferred her brother's proximity to Mayfair. Agatha's hobbies included gossip, penny dreadfuls, and attempting to matchmake most young and single people in sight, even outdoing Her Majesty's efforts for the same. When news came that her brother would be hosting the rather-notorious Princess whose refusal to select a partner was the talk of the nobles on the continent, she couldn't resist occupying one of the spare rooms.
Not that Sonia truly minded. Unlike her maid, Cecily, who threatened to write home if Sonia begged her to pick up yet another parcel from Tottenham Court Road packed to the brim with hardbacks, most in the sensational, gothic, or mystery variety, Agatha was more than happy to lend the young guest every scandalous text she owned, all the while telling no one when Sonia helped herself to a second slice of cake at tea. If she didn't feel so compelled to urge her brother to hold various dinners to introduce their guest to the crème de la crème of London Society, or rather the young, available men who were poised to run it one day, Sonia would have sought her company far more often. At least that night had been devoid of various Countesses, Marchionesses, and Duchesses inquiring after her favorite colors and flowers, conspiring with Lady Agatha for her future before Sonia had truly gotten to know anyone. And at least, that evening, it had taken only two glasses of port for Lady Agatha to insist she was ready for bed, leaving Sonia in the dimly lit study with a penny dreadful that truly lived up to its name.
And Sonia had been enjoying it, though she'd been feeling a bit parched (far too much wine and not enough water) at dinner when, of all people, Mr. Van Helsing had entered, a tray balanced in his hands. "Goodness, how did you know I wanted some tea? I thought about ringing for a footman, but I think they are all tending to Marquis Renfield and his gentleman guests." At least Delly had been spared: with no visiting vampire nobles in attendance, he'd declared he'd have a tray in his room with Sisi, not wanting to be stuck with the boring humans. A part of her agreed with him, and wished she could have asked for the same. But she wasn't a child and she wasn't naïve, or at least not about this. This was the Renfield's doing, or Her Majesty herself had asked for them to take on such company by offering her a place in their home for the duration of her stay.
"It smells delicious, you do not mind if I pour myself a cup? Everyone seems to want to do that for me here," She smiled as he set the tray down. Hopefully he'd brought an additional cup for himself? She was used to eating in front of the staff of course but...Abraham Van Helsing didn't quite fit that description. But he was no member of the nobility either. He was something else entirely, something else that did, if she had to admit, interested her, despite the fact he did not seem to reciprocate that fascination much. About anything, really. "I suppose it's fortuitous then, that I did not partake in much of tonight's dessert: the son of the Earl who visited tonight had a proclivity for plum tart and well...that doesn't sit well with me, you see."
She didn't mind a simple, yet fragrant, tea and a scone in the least: no, it would calm her stomach after such a heavy meal and if needed, she could always find a square of chocolate in her own belongings or if she asked Lady Agatha for one. Stirring in the requisite cream and sugar, she brought the steaming cup to her smiling lips, took a small sip and-
URGH.
She'd downed the entirety of the small cup in one swallow, and only now did she regret it. She'd been thirsty and had expected something light, with a hint of sweetness...not something that was spicy and bitter and the addition of cream had, while she hadn't noticed at the time, ensured the dairy had curdled due to the 'tea' at hand. "It's...ah, I'd like to try the scones!" She insisted, forgetting her manners as she felt the 'tea' sit in the pit of her stomach. Alongside the ten course meal...she needed something else to soak it up. A scone would be perfect and certainly-
GURGLE.
It was hardly the most ladylike sound but then again, Sonia didn't give a shit about being ladylike right now. Her free hand clapped to her mouth as she began to turn pale before taking on a sickly shade of green. The scone had been worse than the tea: instead of light and fluffy it was gritty with...something. Something that her feel even more ill, like she'd be reprising her meal in reverse order very, very shortly.
"I..." Sonia gulped down what threatened to come up, and all over the Marquis' antique table and Persian rug at that. "I feel I must retire for the evening! I'm very sorry Mr. Van Helsing, but could you...could you please just tell the butler to send my maid to my room? Thank you ever...ever so much!"
And with that, Sonia abruptly stood, her book falling forgotten to the floor as she brushed quickly past him, silk taffeta skirts swishing in her wake. More accurately, she needed to pay a trip to her Water Closet and pray that Cecily could undo dozens of tiny buttons and her corset in time, before Sonia ruined them both. For the first time, Sonia Nevermind did not wish for any chocolate. No, she didn't much care to ever eat again.
#more-than-a-princess answered#cantillat#Non-Despair AU: Code: Realize verse#(In which how Ab.rah.am Va.n Hel.sing almost poisoned the Princess)#(You can be sure the Marquis will be alerted and everyone will think someone is out to kill her)#(She's going to need bed rest for at least a day. Maybe two!)
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The Secret, Book, and Scone Society: Do you like cozy mysteries?
I like cozy mysteries. I nice plot, not too much angst. Easy to reading when I’m tired, or a light listen while I’m commuting. I like angsty mysteries too, but something in the beginning of fall makes me want a soft blanket, a huge pot of tea, rain on the window panes, and a cozy mystery. Do you like cozy mysteries?
The Secret, Book, and Scone Society is a cozy mystery. Set in a quaint North…
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#Bibliophile#Book Review#bookgirls#bookstagram#booktok#fiction#Fiction Friday#misterynovel#Weekend Read#whattoreadnext
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Cozy Wednesday with Samara Yew - Author of Murder by the Seashore (A California Bookshop Mystery) #AuthorInterview / #Review / #Giveaway - Great Escapes Book Tour - @crookedlanebooks @samarayewauthor
Welcome to Cozy Wednesday!
I am so happy to welcome Samara Yew
to Escape With Dollycas today!
Hi Samara!
Please tell us a little bit about yourself.
Hello! I’m a cozy mystery author who lives on a small acreage in BC, Canada with my husband, son, and two sweedy dogs (that’s sweet but needy.) Murder by the Seashore is the first book in the California Bookshop Mysteries, and I wrote its first draft during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) in November 2020.
What are three things most people don’t know about you?
1. Most people reading this are probably pronouncing my name wrong. It’s okay; I forgive you. But it’s pronounced Sah-mare-rah. The mare rhymes with air not car.
2. My family loves to travel so much that we realized our son has been to eleven countries and he isn’t even three years old yet. I’ve been to twenty-three, so he still has some catching up to do. And yes, traveling with a toddler is extremely exhausting, but we’ve made some amazing memories.
3. I love green bananas. They are so much better than ripe bananas.
What books/authors have most inspired you?
The Library Lover’s Mysteries by Jenn McKinlay for the gorgeous setting and humor.
The Secret, Book, and Scone Society Mysteries by Ellery Adams for the strong friendships and quaint bookshop.
The Seaside Café Mysteries by Bree Baker for the quirky characters and page-turning mysteries.
What kind of research do you do, and how long do you spend researching before beginning a book?
I don’t do a lot of research, but I do make an outline. I usually spend a few weeks on it before I start actually writing. But then I totally go off-outline. Sometimes I’m not even sure how my books get written because the process can be all over the place.
Do you ever suffer from Writer’s Block?
Not really. I suffer from “Not Very Much Time To Write,” so the odd hour or so I get to sit down and write, I have so much built up in me that there’s no time for Writer’s Block.
What advice do you have for someone who would like to become a published writer?
Read lots, especially in your genre (hey, it’s considered homework!)
When you are not writing what do you like to do?
I love to read, travel, swim, and bake.
If you could travel anywhere in the world where would you go and why?
I’ve honestly been fortunate enough to check most places off my bucket list of places to go. Two places I would love to return to are London and Tokyo because I didn’t get to spend enough time in either.
What is next on the horizon for you?
I’m working on book two of the California Bookshop Mysteries. It’s been fun to be back with Scarlett and the Palm Trees and Page Turners’ gang as they get into more mischief around Southern California.
Thank you, Samara, so much for visiting today.
Keep reading for my thoughts about Murder by the Seashore.
Murder by the Seashore (A California Bookshop Mystery)
by Samara Yew
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Paper Cuts by Ellery Adams--Book Review
Happy Tuesday! Paper Cuts by Ellery Adams it out today! Stop by to see what I thought about the 6th A Secret, Book, and Scone Society novel. Happy Reading!
https://bibliophileandavidreader.blogspot.com/2023/04/paper-cuts-by-ellery-adams.html
#papercuts#asecretbookandsconesociety#cozy mystery#ellery adams#kensington#theavidreader#book review#kensington books#the avid reader#kensington publishing
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"Murder, Mayhem and Bliss" Loulou Harrington I don't remember much from this at all. There was another book with a murder by the pool and it gets all muddled.
"The Secret, Book & Scone Society" Ellery Adams I liked the book nerd stuff parts. Started out well, nice flow and all that, mystery part... meh.
"The Deep End" Julie Mulhern I wasn't aware that it was supposed to set in the 70's, I just thought that some of the pop culture references were a bit weird. Feels like the only reason it's set in the 70's was to get away from cellphones.
"A Rare Interest in Corpses" Ann Granger A lot of the Victorian cozies I have read have struggled to get the MC into the sleuthing part in a natural way.
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Mystery/Thriller Monday
I'm a sucker for Corvids! Add in the librarian part, and, I mean, I had to read this right? It's required?
Greer Hogan is a librarian. She also loves reading murder mysteries. And, like a lot of these main characters in these books, she seems to come upon dead bodies a bit. In the present she finds her best friend dead on the library floor, but, before then, and the reason that she left New York for Raven Hill was that she found her husband’s dead body as well.
Of course, she’s not going to let this mystery pass her by. She’s a librarian which most definitely helps (I would like to point out that I know quite a few, including myself, librarians who would in fact let the professionals do their jobs and not have the need to look into a murder (or is it an accident) even if it were a best friend. Just sayin’....). But, as she starts looking into this and two other deaths in Raven Hill (that may or may not be accidents) she also finds things out about her own husband’s death, and the possibility that the man in jail maybe didn’t do it?
It was an interesting mystery, and, it is the first in a series too, always a plus.
You may like this book If you Liked: The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk, or The Secret, Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams, or A Willing Murder by Jude Deveraux
The Unkindness of Ravens by M.E. Hilliard
#mysterythrillermonday#nmlRA#nevins memorial library#the unkindness of ravens#m.e. hilliard#me hilliard
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Becoming a reader is a change for the better. Trust me. No one has ever lost by becoming addicted to stories – to the lessons learned by those who possess enough courage to put pen to paper.
Ellery Adams, The Secret, Book & Scone Society
#ellery adams#the secret book & scone society#book quotes#bookblr#bookish#books#quotes#bookstagram#booktok#book tumblr#reading#book club
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I bought the first book in @elleryadamsofficial Secret Book & Scone Society mystery series in December as a Christmas present to myself so imagine how happy I was when the book was picked as @cozymysteryclub May read. I am a big fan of @elleryadamsofficial book retreat mystery series and her books by the bay series also so can't wait to dive into this series and definitely can't wait until May 31st to discuss 😀 #elleryadams #secretbookandsconesociety #cozyauthor #cozymysteryauthor #sleuther #bookstagram #cozymysteries #bookaddict #readersofinstagram #cozytribe #cozycrew #cozymysterycrew #bookworm #mysteries #ilovecozymysteries #ilovebooks #books #ilovecozies #cozymysterylover #cozies #booksaremyheart #cozymysterybookclub #cozyengagement (at Durham, North Carolina) https://www.instagram.com/p/CdqiCL1LNFn/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=
#elleryadams#secretbookandsconesociety#cozyauthor#cozymysteryauthor#sleuther#bookstagram#cozymysteries#bookaddict#readersofinstagram#cozytribe#cozycrew#cozymysterycrew#bookworm#mysteries#ilovecozymysteries#ilovebooks#books#ilovecozies#cozymysterylover#cozies#booksaremyheart#cozymysterybookclub#cozyengagement
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I decided back in April that the best way to spend quarantine was recreating food from my favorite books that never got descent adaptations, and I was right.
You know, there’s binging with babish, feast of fiction, nerdy nummies, etc. on youtube, but they all tend to stick to things that have received a film adaptation in some capacity, leaving a lot of my favorite books untouched in the genre of food fiction.
So far I have managed coconut pancakes from The Mortal Instruments, roman pizza from Heroes of Olympus, swedish meatballs from Going Vintage, naan bread from Going Vintage, rose macarons from Heartless, and tonight I’m making falafel as a nod to the Magnus Chase series
I’ve got a lot of other recipes stockpiled, featuring things from books such as Caraval, Siren, the Secret, Book, and Scone Society, and All that She can See, but I would love for you guys to share some of your favorite books, as well as a dish or treat featured in it that you would like to see me recreate. I’m working on putting these into tik toks or just really brief youtube videos if I lose tik tok, so either comment here, or shoot me an ask
#books#bookworm#caraval trilogy#siren#the secret book & scone society#percy jackson#carrie hope fletcher#going vintage#heartless#marissa meyer#magnus chase#heroes of olympus
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Light reading, anyone?
#bookstores#indie bookstores#bookstore#book stacks#book recs#A Taxonomy of Love#Rachael Allen#Carry On#Rainbow Rowell#Red White & Royal Blue#Casey McQuiston#Happiness#Will Ferguson#The Secret Book & Scone Society#Ellery Adams#Attachments#Oksana Behave!#Maria Kuznetsova#All Systems Red#Martha Wells#Comics Will Break Your Heart#Faith Erin Hicks#Strange Practice#Vivian Shaw#everyone's a aliebn when ur a aliebn too#jomny sun#The Unlikely Adventures of the Shergill Sisters#Balli Kaur Jaswal
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types of dark academia
classic academia: beige trench coats, wool sweaters. plaid skirts. think femme fatale, but educated. sobbing in bed late at night over the secret history or dead poets society. tea with milk and sugar. subsequent tea stains.
darkest academia: running through the rain, dimly lit by streetlights. brown tweed jackets, dress shoes. cold fingers and colder gazes. french-pressed black coffee, piping hot. dark, candlelit rooms with ancient wood floors/walls.
light academia: white cable-knit sweaters, sparkly eyes and foggy glasses. going to art museums and falling in love with every portrait, every sculpture. caressing the petals of a rose, hearing the crinkle of leaves underfoot.
witchy academia: burning candles while reading or doing homework. black turtlenecks, velvet skirts. walking through the forest in autumn. passing a graveyard and feeling a greyish presence. waiting anxiously for samhain.
romantic academia: writing flowery poetry about someone you’ll never speak to (guilty oops). a cozy alizarin sweater, pleated skirts. slow dancing around your room to the beatles. curling up with warm, pallid cups of tea and a book.
scholarly academia: impeccable notes in class. leather bound bags crammed with textbooks and pens. lots of coffee with scones, and even more late nights. a wide vocabulary (that people constantly comment on). lives in the library.
theatre academia: shakespeare, all the time - quoting, reading, praying for a school production of a midsummer nights dream. or the crucible. memorizing lines in the wings. taking on your character’s traits, even outside the theater.
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